CCPD: Crime down in first half of year

July 11, 2012

Violent and non-violent crimes reported in Cape Coral were down overall for the first half of this year as compared to the first six months of 2011.

The Cape Coral Police Depart-ment released its semi-annual uniform crime report numbers Mon-day, which are used to compare incidents nationwide. The Lee County Sheriff's Office and Fort Myers police had yet to do so Tuesday.

Violent crimes decreased 21 percent as compared to last year, from 126 incidents to 99 incidents. Violent crimes include homicides, manslaughters, sex offenses, aggravated assaults and robberies, according to the report.

There were 154 violent crimes during the first six months of 2010.

Non-violent or property crimes also declined from last year to this year during the same period - from 1,969 incidents to 1,775 in-cidents, or 10 percent. Burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts comprise these.

In the same six months of 2010, there were 1,834 property crimes.

"Violent crime is down 36 percent compared to 2010," Lt. Tony Sizemore, spokesman for the CCPD, said in a prepared statement released Monday.

"Property crime is down 10 percent compared to 2011, when we (saw) a spike in metal theft," he said.

When compared to the first six months of last year, there were two fewer homicides but the same number of sex offenses in 2012. There was a drop in the number of incidents in every other category, except for vehicle thefts.

Motor vehicle thefts increased this year to 59 incidents, up from 48.

Simple batteries also experienced a dip year over year, from 760 last year to 700 - an 8 percent decrease. Arsons remain the same at 6 per year.

Overall crimes fell from 2,095 incidents in 2011 to 1,874 this year.

Police Chief Jay Murphy addressed his employees' hard work.

"From taking the call and dispatching it quickly, to the first officers on the scene or the endless surveillance by special ops, and the follow up by ISB-forensics/property, data logging by records and analysis by crime analysts, we have a great team," he said in the prepared statement released Monday.

"Couple this with citizens who will call us with information because each of you has worked hard to establish those relationships that produce dividends, and it is all coming together," Murphy said.